Past and present executives of GBA and Greater Accra Regional Bar
Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has urged lawyers to embrace technology in a fast-paced changing world in order to meet the demands of the legal profession which is undergoing transformation at a rapid pace.
According to him, globalisation, digital innovation and evolving client needs are redefining the very fabric of legal service delivery, and a future-fit lawyer must therefore be efficient in digital tools, open to innovation, and committed to continuous learning.
“Beyond the courtrooms, the future-fit lawyer must also develop entrepreneurial mindset, the ability to identify legal needs in underserved areas to develop client centric solutions and to operate in an increasingly competitive legal market place,” he said.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said this in a speech read for him by Justice Yaa Onyameye Gyakobo of the Court of Appeal at the maiden edition of the Greater Accra Regional Bar Law Week yesterday.
The Law Week, which commenced yesterday, forms part of the Greater Accra Regional Bar’s mandate to organise and promote activities for the education and advancement of members and the general public.
It featured a full-day conference which focused on three dynamic Continuing Legal Education (CLE) sessions that explored: how the world will look like in 2030, how AI is reshaping the legal landscape and the future of legal work.
The event will also launch the Regional Bar’s partnership with the Legal Aid Commission to enhance the provision of legal aid, and will culminate in the Greater Accra Bar Tech & Justice Commitment, where members will pledge to offer pro bono services, launch or support tech-enabled legal outreach, and collaborate for broader access to justice.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, in a speech read for him, emphasised the changing trend in technology, but indicated that it must however not erode the values of the legal profession.
“Technology and entrepreneurship must never be used as excuses to dilute the core values that define our profession, integrity, independence, diligence and respect for the rule of law. It is incumbent upon us to guard these values jealously to pass amongst the next generation and to hold one another accountable as a community of professionals,” he said.
National President of the Ghana Bar Association, Mrs. Efua Ghartey, also admonished lawyers to pay closer attention to ethical conduct, and pointed that lawyers must carry themselves in a way that they would never have to appear before the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council.
She also encouraged lawyers to embrace service to the community in which they operate by giving back to it, adding that, “that makes you feel that God has blessed you and you are also in a position to bless others.”
President of the Greater Accra Regional Bar, Isabel Boateng, on her part, stated that being a future-fit lawyer will equip them to navigate this new world and give them a pass to what it means to be a visionary.
“Being visionary means you are able to posit yourself 5, 10, 20 years down the line and see how you can strategise and leverage the trends and the tools that exist or that are creeping or coming at top speed at you now, not later,” she stressed.
She added that as a regional bar, its vision is to build the association into a dynamic, responsive and people-centred bar. “We have anchored this pursuit on measurable goals and targets focused on strategic leadership, enhanced governance, professional development, member engagement welfare and enlivening our spirit of community,” she pointed out.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak